No matter what happened in the first half, a third quarter team is regrouped and adjusted, and its there that collective talent wins out with the game having progressed far enough to nullify the affect of fluke, outlier-type influences. Basically, you own the third, you own the game, and over the years, the best teams rise to the top when it comes to average third-quarter scoring margins.
Two years ago, the best third quarter teams were the Lakers and Celtics, outscoring opponents by 3.1 and 2.4 points, respectively, each team routinely blowing opponents out after halftime. Last year, at +1.7, the best were Orlando and Oklahoma City, with the Lakers again just behind.
What does all this mean for Miami? Well, with a starting lineup of Chris Bosh, Mike Miller, Joel Anthony, Kenny Hasbrouck and Patrick Beverley, the HEAT came back from a 45-29 halftime deficit to take a 65-64 lead heading into the fourth.
That’s 36 points in the third – 20 alone from Bosh, in All-Star form – and, just as importantly, just 19 from the Hornets, playing their regular season starters minus David West.
Of course, this wouldn’t mean much if it wasn’t becoming a trend, but it is. Excluding last Saturday’s loss to San Antonio when neither Bosh nor James played in the second half, the HEAT are, through four games, outscoring opponents by an average margin of 10.75 points in the third quarter, including three instances where the opponent scored 20 or fewer in the period.
Again, the best average margin last season was +1.7.
Extreme numbers such as these always regress, but what’s important is that they hint at how this team plays out of the break. And that the level of play is coming from the top.
